Ellsworth Kelly

Ellsworth Kelly was a defining figure in modern abstraction, celebrated for his monochromatic paintings and hard-edge technique. Kelly’s work is characterised by sharp clean lines and vast areas of flat colours, evoking smooth surfaces. Focusing on simple forms, the artist investigated the building blocks of line, form and colour, masterfully creating evocative, bold compositions. Beyond his paintings, he is known as a printmaker and sculptor.

After holding his first solo show at the Galerie Arnaud, Paris (1951), he had his first major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), in New York (1973). He has since had major exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of Art (1982), the Guggenheim Museum, New York (1996) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1997 & 2012). Recently, he has been exhibited at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2024).